Morrison, Toni

Morrison, Toni
orig. Chloe Anthony Wofford

born Feb. 18, 1931, Lorain, Ohio, U.S.

U.S. writer.

She studied at Howard and Cornell universities, taught at various universities, and worked as an editor before publishing The Bluest Eye (1970), a novel dealing with some of the shocking realities of the lives of poor blacks, and Sula (1973). The brilliant Song of Solomon (1977) brought her national attention. Her later novels include Tar Baby (1981), Beloved (1987, Pulitzer Prize), Jazz (1992), and Paradise (1998). The African American experience, particularly that of women, is the principal theme of her fiction. Her use of fantasy, her sinuous poetic style, and her interweaving of mythic elements give her stories texture and great power. She was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993.

* * *

▪ American author
original name  Chloe Anthony Wofford  
born February 18, 1931, Lorain, Ohio, U.S.
 
 American writer noted for her examination of black experience (particularly black female experience) within the black community. She received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993.

      Morrison grew up in the American Midwest in a family that possessed an intense love of and appreciation for black culture. Storytelling, songs, and folktales were a deeply formative part of her childhood. She attended Howard University (B.A., 1953) and Cornell University (M.A., 1955). After teaching at Texas Southern University for two years, she taught at Howard from 1957 to 1964. In 1965 she became a fiction editor. From 1984 she taught writing at the State University of New York at Albany, leaving in 1989 to join the faculty of Princeton University.

      Morrison's first book, The Bluest Eye (1970), is a novel of initiation concerning a victimized adolescent black girl who is obsessed by white standards of beauty and longs to have blue eyes. In 1973 a second novel, Sula, was published; it examines (among other issues) the dynamics of friendship and the expectations for conformity within the community. Song of Solomon (1977) is told by a male narrator in search of his identity; its publication brought Morrison to national attention. Tar Baby (1981), set on a Caribbean island, explores conflicts of race, class, and sex. The critically acclaimed Beloved (1987), which won a Pulitzer Prize for fiction, is based on the true story of a runaway slave who, at the point of recapture, kills her infant daughter in order to spare her a life of slavery. Jazz (1992) is a story of violence and passion set in New York City's Harlem during the 1920s. A work of criticism, Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination, also was published in 1992. Her novel Paradise (1998) is a richly detailed portrait of a black utopian community in Oklahoma. Her later novel, Love (2003), is an intricate family story that reveals the myriad facets of love and its ostensible opposite.

      The central theme of Morrison's novels is the black American experience; in an unjust society her characters struggle to find themselves and their cultural identity. Her use of fantasy, her sinuous poetic style, and her rich interweaving of the mythic gave her stories great strength and texture.

Additional Reading
Linden Peach, Toni Morrison (1995); Jan Furman, Toni Morrison's Fiction (1996).

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Morrison,Toni — Mor·ris·on (môrʹĭ sən, mŏrʹ ), Toni. Originally Chloe Anthony Wofford. Born 1931. American writer who won the 1993 Nobel Prize for literature. Her novels, such as Sula (1973) and Beloved (1987), examine the experiences of African Americans. * * * …   Universalium

  • Morrison, Toni — ► (n. 1931) Escritora estadounidense. Es autora de novelas de temática afroamericana: Sula (1973), Beloved (1987), Jazz (1992), Paraíso (1997), Amor (2003). Recibió el premio Nobel en 1993. * * * orig. Chloe Anthony Wofford ( …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Morrison, Toni —  (1931–) American novelist, awarded Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993 …   Bryson’s dictionary for writers and editors

  • Morrison, Toni — pseud. di Wofford, Chloe Anthony …   Sinonimi e Contrari. Terza edizione

  • Morrison, Toni —    см. Моррисон, Тони …   Писатели США. Краткие творческие биографии

  • Toni Morrison — en 2008 Nombre completo Chloe Anthony Wofford Nacimiento …   Wikipedia Español

  • MORRISON (T.) — MORRISON TONI (1931 ) Toni Morrison, de son premier nom Chloe Antony Wofford, est née le 18 février 1931 à Lorain, Ohio. Romancière, elle a apporté un ton nouveau à la littérature afro américaine. Après des études aux universités Howard et… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Morrison — Morrison, Toni * * * (as used in expressions) Flagler, Henry M(orrison) MacIver, Robert M(orrison) Morrison, Jim James Douglas Morrison Morrison, Toni Frank Morrison Spillane Waite, Morrison (Remick) Marion Michael Morrison …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Toni (film) — Toni Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Toni est un prénom mixte. Toni Elias Toni Morrison Toni Negri Toni Sailer Toni Braxton Toni Gardemeister Toni Collette Toni Nieminen Toni Kukoč Toni… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Toni Morrison — For the Louisiana politician, see deLesseps Morrison, Jr.. Toni Morrison Toni Morrison in 2008 Born February 18, 1931 (1931 02 18) (age 80) Lorain, Ohio, Unit …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”